Denise Dolphin

I was performing at Sea World. Actually, I was one of the stars at Sea World, and the only blue dolphin off the coast of Miami. The roar of the crowd, the thundering applause, well, it made me leap higher, flip faster, and just feel incredible about myself. I thought being a star was the most incredible job in the entire world. Then I joined the Ocean Protectors and I realized that there was a more important job for me.

What was your first reaction to Nicky Nautilus?

It was a surprise for me and, honestly, I thought she was a fan or something. When she pulled that gorgeous gold mirror from her shell, I expected to see my blue eyes and the beautiful outfit I was wearing that day. But the message from King Neptune gave me a whole new outlook. And it was very exciting!

You seemed surprised to discover the power of your spinning. Was this all new to you?

Absolutely! I’ve become famous for my high leaps and twists but I never created a whirlpool that could be used as a tool to harness sharks! That was so great!

Fashion is very important to you, Denise. How do you stay looking so good while saving the ocean?

It doesn’t take a lot of work to look your best. You just have to take good care of yourself and eat right, even when you’re away from home. I pack very lightly and make sure all of my outfits are washable.

People often refer to dolphins as a fish, but you’re actually a mammal. And they confuse dolphins with porpoises. What is the difference?

Oh my gosh, it’s like the difference between pastel pink and magenta. Totally different! First of all, dolphins are from the same family as whales, which are also mammals. Did you notice a certain resemblance between Kilo Killer Whale and me? As for porpoise, well, they may look like dolphins, but they’re smaller, have a much shorter snout, and — how can I say this nicely? — they’re a bit chubbier around the middle, not as sleek and long as dolphins. They’re also much more shy than dolphins, so you won’t see them performing like I do. And dolphins live much longer, until about 50, while a porpoise doesn’t usually get any older than 15.

We now know that the blue dolphin has the most beautiful looks, but how many other types of dolphins are there in the ocean?

In school, we learned there are 32 species of oceanic dolphins, but there are others that live in rivers.

What was the most important lesson you learned while searching for the Diamond of the Seas with the other Ocean Protectors?

I think the lesson about teamwork was most important. I usually perform alone in my show, but I learned that when we work together, we can accomplish so much more than when we tackle a problem alone. I don’t believe that any one of us on the Ocean Protectors could have achieved what we did on his or her own. It was the teamwork that made the difference.